Powerful flowing movement and delicate linework form the basis of three new designs by Gadigal artist Kate Constantine. The collection is the latest collaboration from Willie Weston, a profit-for-purpose business that works in partnership with First Nations artists and art centres, translating their work into textiles and wallcoverings for use in commercial and residential interior applications.

Having long-admired Constantine’s work, Willie Weston co-founders Laetitia Prunetti and Jessica Booth saw an opportunity to translate some of her lesser known, delicate paper works. “They have a real warmth and softness, and a deep resonance with Kate’s Country and people”, says Prunetti. This new range will be available across Willie Weston’s high-performance commercial fabrics and wallpapers, as well as acoustics (in partnership with Autex Acoustics).

Kate Constantine is a proud Gadigal woman of the Eora nation, deeply passionate about preserving and celebrating her language, culture and histories. Acknowledging that much of this rich heritage has been lost, misplaced, or manipulated since colonisation, Constantine uses her artwork as a powerful medium to revive and reconnect to Country through vivid storytelling.

As an internationally recognised artist, Constantine’s work is represented by galleries in London, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne and Margaret River, and she has been honoured as a finalist in numerous art prizes and awards. With work that encompasses public and corporate projects, the collaboration with Willie Weston will see Constantine’s designs applied across even more spaces.

The Kate Constantine collection includes three distinct designs, each with its own story and cultural significance.

Inspired by the exquisite jewellery and adornments worn by Gadigal women, Dyin Bangada: Ngunyul (Women’s Feather Adornment) references a neck piece created with the feathers of a lyrebird. Constantine shares, “Gadigal women have some of the most beautiful jewellery and adornments recorded. This design is based on a beautiful drawing by an unknown artist entitled 35: A Woman of New South Wales. The woman’s name is omitted, but she is likely Gadigal or Bidjigal, judging by her facial structure and her feather adornments.” Constantine reflects on how these traditions of ornamentation served not only as a form of vanity but also as a way of expressing identity and connections, “These Dyin Bangada have been forgotten but are not lost”.

Of Garrigarrang Narang (Tidelines), Constantine says: “I am a saltwater woman. I draw strength from badu (water), particularly that of the sea and from our glorious harbour homelands. As a rich food source, the sea has always been vital to our survival”. But beyond its physical nourishment, the sea holds a deeper cultural significance. As Constantine explains: “It is also part of our cultural knowledge system – a system that informs our wisdom and educates those whose initiation rights deem them ready to receive”.

Crawl features the Karkalla, or native pigface, an iconic blue-green succulent with bright fuchsia-pink flowers found along the east coast of Australia. The Gadigal people have long utilised Karkalla for its medicinal properties, using its juices to soothe stings, bites and itches. It has also been a valuable food source, with both the leaf and the flower being safely edible. Constantine highlights the resilience of Karkalla as it grows, crawling along beaches to the sand dunes safe and intact during wild weather events and providing safe harbour to many native creatures. “This beauty is so underrated – a beautiful reminder that the simplicity of nature is all around us.”

At the heart of Willie Weston lies a deep respect for First Nations art, design and culture. Prunetti and Booth – art curators by training – work collaboratively with artists to develop designs that both exemplify and extend that artist’s practice, viewing the integration of textiles and wallcoverings as one of many threads that can serve to embed First Nations perspectives into our built environments. “In the ten years since we started Willie Weston“, says Booth, “the conversation around First Nations design has evolved considerably, which has opened up some wonderful opportunities for the artists we work with. Kate is an ambitious and dynamic artist, and so easy and lovely to work with – it’s been a joy bringing this collection to life.”

Photography by Martina Gemmola
Ottomans from Plus Workspace
Acoustic panelling from Autex Acoustics

Willie Weston
willieweston.com